No matter what, I always have a bag of rice in my pantry. The grain is about as basic as an ingredient can get, and that is why I love it. In just a few easy steps, you can whip it up in no time. And, because it is so versatile, you can cook it into practically anything. Here are three recipes that lift rice from its side-dish status and bring it to the centre of the plate.
Simple fried rice
Serves: 4
Ingredients
500g cooked rice
2 tbsp oil
150g frozen peas
4 eggs, beaten
4 spring onions, finely chopped
Method
Heat a small frying pan and add the eggs. Cook quickly until cooked but very sloppy.
Heat the oil in a large wok or pan and add the peas, rice, and onions together. Cook until everything is hot, then stir through the egg. Cooking it in this way means you get nice big pieces of egg.
Serve with soya sauce and a hot chilli sauce.
Recipe by Bit Spicy.
Spicy pineapple fried rice
Ingredients
1 pineapple, flesh cut into small chunks
200g small prawns
6 tbsp ginger chilli sauce
200g cooked white rice (preferably leftovers or prepared the day before)
1 white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 large egg
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
Black pepper and salt
Garnishing
Lime wedges
Spring onions, chopped
Coriander
Method
Marinate the prawns and pineapple in two separate bowls of ginger chilli sauce and set aside.
Heat a large wok or a non-stick frying pan over medium to high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and add white onion, garlic, and red pepper. Stir constantly until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.
Add pineapples and cook for 5 minutes until they are caramelised on the edges.
Add turmeric, five-spice powder, black pepper, and salt and stir until fully coated.
Add the cooked rice to the pan. Cook until the rice is warm, stirring occasionally.
Add the egg to the pan and stir to break up the egg as soon as it starts to cook to make sure it mixes well in the rice.
Add the dark and light soy sauces, oyster sauce, and 1 tbsp of sesame oil, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Add prawns and stir until fully cooked.
Transfer the stir-fry to individual pineapple boats and garnish with lime, coriander, and spring onions.
Serve with more ginger chilli sauce on the side.
Cheesy baked carrot and rice cakes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
500g carrots
35ml olive oil
2.5ml cumin powder
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
60ml flour
1 cup cooked Spekko India Gate Basmati Rice (or use leftover rice)
15g parsley, finely chopped
85g mature cheddar, grated
50ml canola oil
To serve
100ml cottage cheese
30ml chopped parsley
50g asparagus, grilled
Method
Preheat the oven to 190 °C.
Peel and chop the carrots into rough chunks and place them on a roasting tray. Drizzle over 20 ml of olive oil and the cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Toss and place in the oven.
Roast for 45 minutes or until soft. Once cooked, remove from the oven and mash with a potato masher or fork.
Heat the remaining 15ml olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the onions are almost done, add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Once everything has finished cooking, combine the mashed carrots with the rice, cooked onions, 30ml flour, parsley, and grated cheddar. Mix well and season to taste.
Shape the mixture into patty-like shapes and coat with the remaining flour, dusting off the excess.
Heat the canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook the patties in batches until golden brown on both sides.
Place the patties on a baking tray and cook for a further 5 minutes in the 190 °C heated oven.
Serve with cottage cheese, chopped parsley, and grilled asparagus.